It's A Wonderful Life, Don't Push Your Luck
by KaizenYokoshima
Summary: Always expect the unexpected. I guess Dad was right. As soon as one thing happened to fall into place, something went horribly, horribly wrong. Perceptions will blur, hearts will be broken and lives shall crumble. Slight title change, still no update
1. Rude Awakening

Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon. If I did, the spelling and grammar would be correct (okay, that was a cheap shot).

Chapter I: Rude Awakening

* * *

Jack wasn't exactly sure why, but those strange vibes he had occasionally felt run through his veins began to make him shudder. It was strange, he thought. He hadn't felt any in years, a decade even. But as with most people, he shrugged off his gut feeling with the hope that it might just have been a bad stomachache.

His girlfriend's cooking was improving, but only that. She still had a long way to go before she could keep Jack from spending hours in the bathroom after she left. And Jack still had to wait before he could tell her what to improve on and not take any more damage to the head.

Nami was her name. Red hair, shorts and a vest would make her seem like somebody simple to the ignorant. Simple she was not. She was cool-headed, calculating and far more intelligent than most of the people living in Forget-Me-Not valley. Many of the men simply adored her for her powerful mind and firm determination to keep the situation under control.

Jack had been absolutely positive that Nami was an angel. Of course, Nami's own cold attitude made her expect Jack to leave. But the more determined he became, the more appreciation, and eventually, love, she showed in return. She supposed that it, in its own way, made her beautiful. Jack found that about her, and everything else, beautiful as well.

So, that's the way it was. Jack had moved onto his farm property a few years post his father's passing. It was always his father's wish that it be a family farm, and Jack had absolutely no trouble dealing with the issue. He'd never really known his father very well, but Jack hoped that taking care of the place would help him learn more about the old man.

Jack was one of those believers of "love-at-first-sight", even though he was slightly sure of himself that Nami would have nothing of the hopeful garbage. Even so, the love was mutual, and Jack knew that he couldn't have been happier.

Jack had just stepped out of his shower and began combing his hair into the ridiculous fashion that seemed awkward to some. But he knew Nami liked it that way. It had been a while since he had seen himself; his partner, Takakura, had just installed the fixture earlier that day, and Jack couldn't be prouder of himself as he flexed and boasted his rather muscular arms to himself.

He reminisced about being that frail city boy at the beginning of his new life. Hell, he would sometimes collapse just while watering his plants.

He suddenly flash-backed to one of those times. The sun had just lowered beyond the horizon and Jack had just finished his daily, near-impossible task of watering his 200 crops. He felt invincible; it was as if the air were full of nothing but energizing goodness.

That came as no surprise, considering that Daryl (read: **weird **scientist) was busy filtering pure oxygen into the air as he conducting his generally pointless experiments. Does it really require oxidation processing to remove the rust from a coin? Why not just use a knife? Or one of those solvent cleaners?

As you may or may not be aware, air consists of oxygen, but only of a set amount of it combined with hydrogen, carbon dioxide and small amounts of other elements. Pure oxygen is lethal, but a greater concentration of the element in the air reduces the amount of pain people feel and makes them fell relaxed. So relaxed, in fact, that they don't realize when they're about to crash. It seemed like a scene from a cheap production value horror flick in which everybody in the valley fainted at **exactly** the same time.

Sans Nami; she's too strong willed for some lame chemical reaction.

Jack awoke, sprawled out along the dirt, and observed Nami giving him mouth-to-mouth for several seconds before he sprang five feet in the air and slapped himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. Nami laughed. She had **laughed**. The only time Nami ever laughed was, well, that was pretty much the only time that Jack could remember. And although rare and difficult to come by, he loved it when she even vaguely smiled.

It was about 4:30 in the afternoon that Nami knocked on Jack's door. Eager to greet his girlfriend, Jack rushed forwards, but stumbled over the loose end of his carpet. Funny, he'd never tripped over it before, but he had always noticed the dang thing. Maybe luck was just not on his side today? No, Jack thought. He shook it out of his head, got up, dusted himself off and opened the door. There stood Nami in, surprise, surprise, the same orange tank top and blue vest as always.

"Not going to dress up for your new boyfriend?"

"Jack, I honestly don't know why you bother trying to get me to fit into something so ridiculous. Only a tramp like Muffy would be pitiful enough to try and flirt with every guy in the restaurant."

"Hmm…I guess you're right…" Jack sighed

"Is there anything that I say that you disagree with?" Nami smirked.

"Perhaps not, maybe we were just destined for each other…"

Nami smiled, "Stop it."

"No really." Jack teased her.

"I mean it, stop," said Nami as she gently pushed him away and headed towards the path to Mineral Town.

Jack frowned; no matter how much he liked to joke around, Nami never seemed to smile unless it was at his own expense. But that was just the way he liked it: girls who played hard to get.

Jack wasn't much of an arrogant person. Overall he tended to prefer to watch others enjoy the limelight, and speak up to brighten the mood. Many found him a fun person to be around.

Perhaps that was more of a burden than a gift. Jack had always spent his entire adolescence searching for the one woman that would make him completely satisfied. One that would offer him a challenge, and still offer him a tad of affection and decency from time to time.

What Jack found was not the case. Young women would watch him pass, flutter up their skirts and get dangerously close, seemingly unaware of the fact that they were simply getting Jack into trouble. How you may ask? Most of these girls must have been conniving whores or ignorant fools, because quite more than the majority of these flirts passed Jack with their boyfriends, fathers or brothers.  
Jack had many scars. You don't see them very well anymore, because as adverse Jack is to fighting, he loves to tease people, sometimes to the point of having them take a few swings at him before they become bored and/or content. Jack was a master of evasion.

He didn't like to brag, but he told those listening from time to time that he had once dodged a bullet. They sat in awe, wonder and shock, ignorant of the fact that the man who had fired the gun had been aiming at a man one foot from Jack's side. He missed Jack slightly, but both the gunman, the victim and the lying fool (okay, maybe that's a bit harsh, the proud fool) knew that it probably would have missed Jack anyway.

Witnesses saw otherwise; Jack leaning a bit to the side, a man with a gun in his hand, and another who stood with a rather blank expression and not much of care in the matter. Reporters screamed, cameras flashed and rolled, Jack had to put his evasion skills to the test. As he had turned around to flee the scene, he noticed the emotionless man had seemingly sunk into the shadows, unnoticed by everyone else, and the gunman sprawled along the pavement, unconscious.

But that was a rather silly story, he thought. However, it seemed that others had been quite impressed; but that only increased the number of attempted beatings. That may have been another reason why Jack loved Nami: she seemed to be able to sense the truth without much trouble. And she saw Jack for who he really was. She was able to see, understand and appreciate his emotions, active as they were.

"Table for two, please," said Jack calmly.

"Right this way." The waiter seemed to mumble something under his breath as Jack and Nami followed him a table nearby the deck facing the beach. Jack was exhausted from the walk over: It wasn't that Moonlight City was far from Forget-Me-Not Valley, but traveling through Mineral Town was rather difficult considering the fact that it contained many windy roads. Jack must have gotten lost four times before he found the right path.

Nami, however, had found it no trouble finding her way. But the third time that Jack had managed to find his way back from the forest at the opposite end of the direction he was supposed to have gone in, Nami had gotten fed up and tied a rope to his leg. And yet he **still** managed to end up at the hospital.

The waiter came by the table and set two glasses of water on the table, along with a candelabrum with an inferred incentive. Nami lazily blew out the candles, sighed and looked back out the window while resting her head in her palm. Jack shook his head. The waiter returned the candelabrum to his tray, turned on his heel and stomped back towards the kitchen, mumbling something along the lines of, "If they wanted one, they would've asked…stupid boss…"

"Nami," said Jack. Nami shifted her eyes towards him, not bothering to move her head.

"I…have something that I want to…AAGH!" Jack had stopped short because Muffy had pretty much tackled him. Celia stood behind him, blushing.

"HI JACK!" said the two in unison rather enthusiastically.

"Are you busy?" asked Muffy. Nami shook her head in disgust.

"If you'd let me breathe and take your arm off from around my neck, I'd tell you." Muffy let go and looked rather downtrodden. Celia had left to go eat with Vesta and Marlin, her family, if you will.

"Yes, I'm busy. As you can see, I'm on a date with Nami." Muffy didn't even look at Nami and pulled over a chair, knocking Nami out of her seat.

"I hope you don't mind if I sit here!" Muffy exclaimed.

"Actually…" before Jack could finish his sentence, Nami picked up Muffy by the collar of her coat and threw her on the floor. Muffy returned the favor by picking up a glass of water from a nearby table and pouring it all over Nami's shorts. Jack wasn't amused.

By this point, Muffy had her dressed ripped in three places, a black eye and her jacket was in two pieces. Nami hardly had a scratch.

_Boy, this is really something new. But you know, things like this, as common as they are…_CRASH…_they seem to be leading up to something. Maybe this bad luck will turn around._

Jack continued to keep himself lost in thought as the restaurant staff struggled to keep Nami from wrecking anymore of Muffy's things. She had managed to turn Muffy's necklace into nothing more than several cracked shards of imitation silver.

* * *

Back at the farm in Forget-Me-Not-Valley, Jack's dog Uma was busy chewing on something small, soft and blue…

"OHMYGODDESSJACKSDOGISGONNAEATME!" While the Harvest Sprites Nak and Flak were running around in circles, waving their arms over their heads and screaming, Nic jumped out of Uma's mouth and fell on the ground, laughing.

The townspeople were busy with their usual chores and activities: Hugh and Wally racing laps around the valley. Marlin and Vesta tending to their crops. Flora and Carter digging up artifacts up Northeast.

Tim and Ruby were busy cooking up a storm for the upcoming festival. It was a secret festival that people only discovered if they were in the right place at the right time.

Griffin was polishing off glasses and serving a few drinks to Patrick, Kassey, Gustafa and Van.

Everything was quiet, normal, and just the way it should be. Not a cloud in the sky and everything seemed completely normal.

Takakura stood at the edge of the beach and sighed to himself, watching the water perform its gentle, majestic curves and dances as it slowly pulled and pushed against the loose Earth. And at this moment, Takakura was enticed to look towards the sky. It was as if the Earth were speaking to him. He did not understand, nor did he really even notice, but he looked lazily up towards the blue sky.

* * *

A few weeks after Jack and Nami's date incident, Jack proposed and only a few days post-question did their wedding occur. The village was quiet; all attention was currently up at the mansion where the couple eagerly stood in their rooms, waiting for their time.

It was a ways into the night. Numerous stars dotted the sky and the last bit of sunlight was just about to vanish and be enveloped by the navy blue sky.

Nami sat in Lumina's dressing room while Celia, the only bridesmaid, sat there watching Nami look at herself in the mirror.

"Oh, you look great! Jack's going to love it!" squealed Celia with delight.

Nami's wedding dress was rather simple: I came up to just under he shoulders, no sleeves. The bottom of the gown came up just below her ankles and Celia had gone through the village, asking people for flowers. She had managed to find eight variations and lay them out along the top of the dresser.

"Just one more touch! Pick one." Nami sat on the stool and looked over them carefully, picking a rather small trick blue and weaving it through the back of her hair. She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. Not sure if she looked good enough, Nami turned to Celia, but said nothing.

"Don't worry, you look beautiful." Celia leaned her head to the side and smiled.

"…" Nami began to cry.

"…? What's wrong, Nami?"

"Nobody's ever said that to me before…" Celia looked shocked.

"Not even Jack?"

Nami looked up, although she was not crying much, just a few tears streamed down her cheek, "He's said it lots of times, but I don't know if he was just saying it to make me feel better…" Celia came up and wrapped her arms around Nami.

"When he says it, he means it."

Nami looked in the mirror one last time, wiped her eyes and headed for the door. Celia couldn't help but smile as she followed her downstairs.

* * *

"You know, Jack, I really wish your father were here to see this." Takakura looked out the window sadly.

"You know, as strange as this sounds, I'm sure he's watching us right now. And I bet he felt great to hear you say that." Takakura looked back down at Jack, smiled and patted him on the back.

"Go on, my boy."

"You know, Tak, as much as I loved my father, I never really knew him very well, You're more of a father to me than anyone's ever been."

"…Glad I was of assistance, now go on. I'll catch up in a second." Jack nodded and headed towards the door. Takakura smiled again as he let a single tear stream down his face and hit the floor without so much as a sound.

Jack stood at the podium right in front of the double staircase. Celia was already at the bottom. Lumina sat at her piano, slowly playing the traditional wedding theme, but Jack tapped her on the shoulder, spoke with her for a few seconds and walked back to the stage just in time to see Nami slowly coming down the stairs. There was pure silence except for the melodic notes of "Tifa's Theme" created by Lumina's piano. It happened to be a song Nami had found in her travels and it was definitely one of her favorites.

Jack was hypnotized, as he watched Nami's slow descent, he could not stop staring and was unaware that his mouth was hanging open until she reached the bottom of the steps and lightly tapped the bottom of his jaw. Smiling, he took her hand and led her to the podium.

"Are you sure about this…Jack…?" Nami whispered as Minister Sebastian continued his duties. Jack simply smiled at her and slightly squeezed her hand.

"…Do you, Nami, take Jack to be your lawful wedded husband?"

Nami looked at Jack, and smiled, "I do."

"…And do you, Jack, take Nami to be your lawful wedded wife?"

Jack stood firm, smiling radiantly, "I do not." Nami's smile vanished and the entire crowds' expression shifted in an instant. Lumina's playing abruptly stopped.

"No, I take her to be much more than that. I take her to be my partner, my friend and my love. I take her to be my reason to live, my reason to rise, my reason to be significant." He turned to face Nami and continued to speak, "Nami, we've been there for each other, through thick and thin, and as this promise of my love, I will always, always, **always** be there for you through the best and the worst. Words cannot express the way I feel about you."

With that, Jack whistled loudly. The front doors swung open and Takakura, Patrick, Kassey, Marlin and Griffin carried in a very large bag. Jack turned to face the audience.

"My friends! This bag is what Nami used along her travels, it contains everything she owns." He reached inside and pulled out several items.

"Nami, you remember this don't you?"

She nodded, "That's the first thing you gave to me. A rather funny looking statuette that I find absolutely adorable."

"It was the first thing I found. Funny, I spent five hours digging in those minds, and I only found one thing. And when I pulled it up, I thought, '_what the heck is this?'"_ The entire crowd laughed.

Jack reached back into the bag and pulled out a strange looking fossil. Those in the crowd shifted uncomfortably and looked from side to side, but Nami almost giggled.

"That's another thing you offered me. I was absolutely fascinated by the complexity of it."

"Found this on the third day I was here. I was sure I had cracked it when my shovel came into contact with something hard, but it was still in good condition. And Finally…"

In through the doors came Jack's horse Reno, carrying a very large bouquet of trick blues. There must have been at least a hundred.

"My favorite…"

"Our favorite. And this." Jack got down on one knee and pulled out a tiny black box. Nami gasped, but the villagers, so used to the blue feather custom, whispered among themselves, unaware of what was going on.

"I know you know what this is. And I know it's a bit different than what this town is used to, but I feel that you deserve more. There were actually quite a few precious things in that mine that maybe Carter just didn't notice." Jack took a glance at Carter, who smiled and winked in return. Jack got down upon one knee once again and opened the box to reveal a large diamond studded ring made of platinum and decorated with a shining ruby on the top. At this instant, every housewife in the village shot glares at their husbands, who turned the other way in unison.

Nami was speechless. Jack couldn't stop beaming, at least until Nami punched him in the face, "That's for touching my luggage without my permission." Silence.

Nami's expression changed into the most sincere smile Jack had ever seen, "And this is for everything else."

Cheers filled the hall as the two kept their lips locked for well over several minutes. At last they parted, Jack picked Nami up, carried her to Reno and the two rode home. It was the greatest moment in their lives. Nami's face was flushed, staring at Jack eyes half-open with a never faltering smile. Jack couldn't stop smiling either, especially as he slowly slipped the ring around Nami's finger.

And just as they rounded the bend onto their farm, Jack noticed two dark figures in the distance towards the entrance to Mineral Town. He blinked and they had vanished. Before he could have the time to ponder this vision, Nami kissed him again as Reno halted right in front of the door.

The door swung open and Jack carried his new wife inside. Nami was so excited when Jack placed her down on the bed. But maybe placed is the wrong word, because Nami had to cushion her fall and stop giggling long enough to open her eyes and see her husband sprawled unconscious along the floor with eyes void of feeling. For the first time in her life, Nami screamed.


	2. Servant and Shadow

Chapter II: Servant and Shadow

The sun had just passed over the horizon from the edge of the western mountains of Forget-Me-Not Valley. The only sounds were the chirping of the birds and the waves crashing against the soft, golden sand.

Besides the aforementioned, there was a quite a bit of silence. A very cold silence. This silence was accompanied with a rather gloomy feeling drifting about the air. Perhaps that explains why everyone was inside.

Wally and Hugh lay in bed, snoring loudly, although the muffled sound barely escaped the thick walls.

Galen and Nina sat on the floor, cross-legged and sipping two mugs of green tea.

"Nina, did you hear what happened to Jack?" whispered Galen quietly, setting his cup softly on the table.

"Yes, it really is a shame. I'd love to go see him, but I'm afraid I just don't have the energy to make my way over to Mineral Town…" She sighed.

Galen nodded, "I know exactly what you mean. I can feel something, something's not right…"

Nina took a long look out the window, observing two birds circling the skies. However, she noticed a rather awkward flight pattern. As opposed to a normal circle, they continuously flew west a few feet, looped back and hovered in place while crying loudly for a moment before repeating the entire process.

Nina looked one more time before she turned back to her tea. As she opened the front door to allow some air inside, the birds let out a shrill, ear-piercing cry before flying west, opposite the rising sun.

* * *

"Can you help him, Doctor?" Nami sat by Jack's bed, anxiously waiting for any sign of movement from his cold hands.

The doctor sighed, "I really have no idea what could have caused it. There's no external damage. It must have been something internal, but I don't have the right tools for something like that. I could get the supplies from the mainland, but that would take quite a few days." He looked down at Nami.

Tears began to swell in her eyes, but surprisingly, she smiled, "You oaf. I hit you and you're both strong enough to take it and brave enough to accept it…" She picked up Jack's hand and held it to her chest.

Elli slowly walked up to her and placed her hand on Nami's shoulder with a genuine smile, "You really love him, don't you?"

Nami said nothing, but stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" asked the doctor with a puzzled look.

Nami didn't turn around, but Elli noticed a bit of happiness in her voice, "I'm the farmer's wife, aren't I?" She turned her head and smiled, "So somebody's got to do the farmer's work." And with that, she pushed herself clear a path out.

The Doctor shook his head and reached for the phone.

"Oh Steven, you really are clueless, aren't you?" Elli laughed. Doc simply reached for a notepad and began scribbling down notes.

* * *

Nami returned to the valley just around 5:00. With everyone still locked up inside, she headed down the path, but turned to stand at the empty patch of land and look out towards the ocean.

As she watched the waves turn the reflection of the sunlight into a vast array of shimmering sparkles, she felt a very cold rush run through her veins. Overcome with the urge to drop, she fell on her knees, shivering uncontrollably. She coughed up a visible breath and grasped her arms, desperately attempting to overcome the feeling.

It passed soon enough. Nami got to her feet and thought: _strange…it's not very cold out here, but I could have sworn it felt like…no…no…mustn't think about things like that you silly girl._ She looked out once more towards the ocean before quickly heading home, her feet crunching against the dirt the only sound in the valley. Or at least the only one she could hear.

Nami reached for her new front door when she felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. It was a very good thing that Nami had enough control to contain herself, or Takakura might have lost his head.

"…Um…how's Jack doing?" he asked.

Nami lowered her hands and sighed, "No idea; he's completely silent." She stood without speaking for several moments before passing around Takakura and heading for the tool shed.

"What are you doing?"

"Somebody's got to do the work around here."

Takakura took the watering can from her hands and set it on the floor, "That's my job. Yours is taking care of somebody who needs you."

Nami sat quietly for a few minutes before turning around and running back towards the path. Takakura smiled to himself and placed his hands in his pockets, but his smile faded as his palm revealed a rather awkward looking seed.

_Hm? What's this?_

* * *

As Nami ran past Vesta's farm again, she caught a very slight chill, but continued to run, ignoring the sensation.

As soon as she was out of sight, two cloaked figures emerged from the shadows. Describing their features would be near impossible, as the two were almost completely covered from head to toe.

Sans their hair. One stood with dark brown, short, very curly hair in somewhat of a strange fashion, distinguishable enough.

The other's hair was black, somewhat longer with a bit of a curve, sticking straight up. This one was considerably taller than the other.

The two of them, however, wore similar clothing. Both wore rather long black pants, flexible dark blue shirts and black cloaks. Over their face, they wore masks that came up to just above the nose, but the taller one wore a pair of fairly dark glasses. The other wore a prescription pair.

The most notable items on the two, however, had to be the weapons they carried. The shorter stood with a small holster around his upper leg to hold a rather short scythe in place. The taller wore a long, thin sheath around his belt in the shape of a katana. The two stood atop the hill, looking down upon the quaint valley known as Forget-Me-Not.

They glanced at each other, communicating with an original, single-hand sign language.

(_I guess it didn't work on her._)

(_I told you it was a waste of time. Knew her for months and she still never lost her mind. She's the only one, with you as an exception, of course. I guess you were just as messed up in the head as I was._)

The shorter gave the taller the middle finger.

(_Relax, you fool. You know you might as well take that as a compliment. And what did I say about using that skill in the first place? I might as well kill you now, but you still have your uses._)

(_But really, we should have just tried again. I bet you it would have worked at full strength._)

(_Do you ever listen to what I say? Full power means double suicide. You're still an important piece of the puzzle about to unfold._)

The shorter nodded.

(_Oh, and one more thing…_)

The taller figure unleashed his katana at a blinding speed without so much as a sound and held it at the shorter figure's neck.

(_Disobey my word again and we're going to have some serious problems. Do you understand?_)

The threatened stood stiff as a board, but nodded solemnly.

(_It's good to see that we've come to an understanding._)

He sheathed his sword and the two sank back into the shadows as quickly and quietly as they had appeared.

* * *

Doc looked up to see Nami walk back in through the double-door entrance at just after 10:00. He smiled and turned back to his work, but was surprised to see the door open a second time.

"D-doctor Hardy?"

Doctor Hardy smiled and responded, "I hear that you've got a patient that requires direct attention."

"Can I get you some coffee, or…"

Dr. Hardy help up his hand and shook his head, "That won't be necessary, Ruby's tea was strong enough to keep me up three hours past midnight. Dear Goddess, does she put her secret spice in everything?"

"What did you find out?" asked Doctor Steven.

"I'm fairly certain that the cure's going to seem ridiculous to you, but I need you to describe the patient's symptoms. We have quite a bit of work to do."

"Very well. I would have preferred not to start working on this so late, but hey, it's our job."

Elli came out of the supply closet carrying a few towels and a bucket.

"Elli, as soon as you put those supplies in Jack's room, you can go home. Just make sure that you're here early, we might need your help."

Elli nodded and smiled as she headed for the front door. As she headed down the path, a cold gust of salt air blew inside, seemingly closing the door for her.

* * *

Nami awoke on the sofa next to Jack's cot as the sunlight poured in through the window at just around eight in the morning. She stood up, stretched and went to the window in time to see the sun rise just over the edge of the water. She sighed and stared for a while before turning around and jumping up at the sight of Dr. Hardy.

"My apologies Nami for my absence at the wedding, but I had important business to attend to," he said quietly.

Nami shook her head, "Just tell me why you're here."

Dr. Hardy smiled, held up a bucket of water and dumped it over Jack's head. He stirred in his bed.

"Jack? Jack! Wake up!" Nami shook him violently.

Jack stirred, turned over in his cot and mumbled in his sleep, "No Grandpa! I don't want to go to swimming practice today!"

Nami smiled, "You idiot, it's me."

"Wha? Oh…why am I in the hospital…in…um…where am I?"

"You idiot, you're in Mineral Town. Where else would we be?"

"Give me a break, will you? The Harvest Sprites always told me that I couldn't go any farther for some reason."

"What stopped you? Flak's overwhelming size blocked the road?"

"Hey, you've gotta trust the Harvest Sprites…for reasons unknown, yeah…" Jack scratched his head and looked out the window.

"Heh, some things never change." An unknown voice came from outside. The three inside looked through the doorway to see a man who bore a striking resemblance to Jack.

"Jack!" said Jack.

"Jack!" said the other Jack, "What are you doing here?"

"Got to see how my cousin's doing. What happened to you?" asked town Jack

Valley Jack looked back towards the window and thought quietly to himself before responding, "You know, I have absolutely no idea."

"Hm…"

"…Oh, how rude of me," valley Jack popped out his bed and brought over Nami by the arm.

"Cousin Jack, this is my new wife, Nami."

The Jack from town gave a low whistle, but Nami only responded by giving him a cold glare.

"Hey, I was just kidding. Apologies for my rudeness, Nami."

Nami answered, "How did you manage to get your hair into that ridiculous fashion?"

The two Jacks looked at each other in hesitation for a moment and looked at their feet. Nami cocked an eyebrow.

"Well…"

"You see…"

"It's that, well…" before valley Jack could explain, Dr. Hardy cleared his throat and spoke, "Jack, I need you to describe your symptoms. Do you have any headaches, body aches or soreness?"

Jack thought for a moment, but shook his head.

"Had trouble sleeping lately or miss any meals?"

Again, Jack answered no.

"How do you feel now?"

"You know, other than tired, I feel completely fine." Jack yawned and stretched his arms to the side, his right hand lightly hitting the wall. A chunk of plaster, wood and paint the size of Jack's fist flew out of the wall, through the air and into the ocean.

The four of them stared through the hole in the wall for several seconds before all of their gazes averted to Jack's right hand.

"Okay, that's not supposed to happen…"

* * *

Celia lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling and twirling a strand of her hair around her index finger. She sighed lazily and thought to herself, _Nami's such a lucky girl. Now whom am **I** going to marry? Am I going to have to get married to…_gulp…_Won? That was Vesta's first choice? She may be a nice woman but still, she only thinks about how hard they work, not how I feel…oh well. I guess it wouldn't be so bad…_

"Hey, Celia."

"Hm?" Celia snapped out of her trance long enough to notice Marlin standing on the near top step.

"Dinner's ready."

"Sure…"

Marlin came all the way up, closed the door and pulled up a chair, "What's up?"

"Well…nothing…"

Marlin held his trademark stern look, "Don't try and fool me, something's bugging you."

"Well…it's about…Won…"

"Let me guess," Marlin said, "You don't like him, do you?"

"No, it's not that I don't like him. He's a nice, hard-working man, but I'm afraid it's just not going to work."

"That tends to be the case with arranged marriages."

"Marlin, you know a lot more than you let other people know. If you spoke out more often, they might like you a little more." Marlin's eyes shifted towards the floor in response.

"…I'm sorry, it was just a suggestion…"

"No, you're right. But back to the discussion at hand, if you don't feel about someone the way they do about you, or the way you're supposed to, just tell the world. The sooner the pain starts, the sooner it ends."

Celia sat and contemplated for a moment, "See, that' s what I'm talking about. That was the best advice I've ever heard from you."

Marlin shrugged, "I try."

Celia gave him a small hug and went downstairs to grab something to eat.

Marlin stood up and looked out the window towards the setting sun and quietly spoke to himself, "Am I good enough for you, now?"

* * *

Tim sat in his favorite armchair, a special gift from an old friend when he had visited Hong Kong on one of his many travels, reading the Mineral Town newspaper and sipping a cup of tea. As he glanced over the headlines, he seemed to feel relieved. Perhaps it had something to do with what he'd seen before. Tim's traveled the entire world, you see. And some of the things he's seen would make a marine jump out of his boots.

As he lifted the cup to his mouth and took a sip, his left hand suddenly shook so hard that his cup fell to the floor and shattered in an instant. Without so much as a second thought, he reached for his closet and pulled out a long, thin, curved wooden artifact and blew the dust off. With a loud sound of metal off metal, he pulled out a very long sword. He held it in one hand, spun it in place, threw it into the air and caught it pointing downwards.

Ruby was busy sitting at her desk, going through the mail when the doors burst open and two black blurs flew in at different angles. One hit the stairs. The other headed for the bedroom door.

Before Ruby could do anything, Tim kicked open the door and yelled, "Ruby, get down!" before two swords collided with a very loud clang. The two held their blades, breathing heavily and waiting patiently for any sudden movements.

The one in black lowered his guard for a split second before letting his blade slip under Tim's, knock Tim's sword towards the kitchen and gain priority. Rock came out of the kitchen at that moment, and would have lost the top of his head had the other figure not caught the flying metal object.

Tim stood, sweating furiously and breathing heavily. The figure lowered his mask just below his chin and smiled.

Tim and Ruby gasped and whispered, "Kage…"(pronounced Ka-gä)

For the first time in days, months, years even, a cold, arrogant, intelligent voice spoke out to the world, "It's been quite a while. You haven't lost a bit of your touch, old man."


	3. The Closer You Get To The Light

(A/N: Hey there. I've decided that due to the overwhelming amount of homework I received from being sick for **two** weeks, I'll be trying to catch up again for a while, so I'll most likely update once, maybe twice a week.

Mr. Unimportant, I appreciate that comment about the A/N in the first chapter, but a little revising was necessary, and without the correct information, the whole section just sort of fell apart, so I made it more traditional.

I'm sure that you're going to notice a few Japanese words thrown in for good measure. Trust me, they're nothing more than mere curses, so unless you want to know the obscenities that Kage and Kyou scream at each other, I suggest that you don't go searching for them…)

Oh, and I'm fairly certain that I own two characters in this story, and I'm pretty sure that I don't Harvest Moon or Natsume.

* * *

Chapter III: The Closer You Get To The Light, The Greater Your Shadow Becomes

Kage turned to face the shorter shadowed figure and originated back to his former method of communication.

(_Shiyounin! Return my weapon!_)

Shiyounin hurried over to Kage and held out the katana whilst kneeling on one knee. He seemed to mutter something under his breath, but Kage ignored him.

"So, Kage," Ruby spoke, "How was your training in Japan?"

Kage stood and answered by hand, (_It was all right, I guess. Most of my sensei kicked me out after a few weeks, claiming that I was too skilled for them, or something along the lines aforementioned. I've been searching forever to find a talented and experienced enough teacher, but finding good help is hard these days._)

He turned to Tim, (_Have you been training in secret, Tim? Under that flabby exterior is some superior skill._)

Tim laughed, "Maybe all those methods finally sunk in!"

"Would somebody tell what the hell is going on?" Rock had captured the attention of his parents, but Kage and Shiyounin didn't even turn their eyes.

"Rock!" said Ruby, "Stop being rude, we have a guest. And what did I say about using foul language?"

Rock stomped out of the inn, mumbling to himself.

Ruby turned back to Kage, "So, would you two like something to eat?"

Shiyounin rose to speak, but Kage smacked him in the back of the head, hard.

(_Shiyounin! What did I say about our mission? We're supposed to be ascetics by now, and you're lying on the floor begging for food like a homeless fool with a drug addiction! You just ate yesterday!_)

Shiyounin rose from the floor and glared at Kage, although he was the only one to notice under his glasses and mask. However, Kage returned a glare cold enough to force Shiyounin to back down.

(_You're right, sir. What was I thinking…?_)

Tim broke the tension and asked, "So, will you two be needing a room?"

(_I hate to be a burden, but I must accept your offer_)

Tim laughed, "Oh, it's no trouble at all! If you're going to be eating as often as you say, it's practically free!"

(_Very well. Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way._)

Without another sound, the two opened the doors and stepped out into the twilight as the sun hung just over the barren mountains.

* * *

"Um…"

"Uh…"

"How…"

Valley Jack shrugged and looked at his hands again. Dr. Hardy removed Jack's gloves and carefully examined them.

"I really don't know."

Dr. Hardy carefully adjusted his "mechanical eye"/eye patch to examine Jack's hands further, which made Nami and town Jack cringe.

"Hm…you seem to be fine."

"I **feel** fine."

"But that might just be a side effect. I'll have to run a few tests while I'm here. Lie down, please." Valley Jack did as he was told.

Town Jack looked at his watch, "Oh, darn it! I've got to get back to work; my horse is entering the festival for his first time and I need him to be in tip-top shape. Jack, Nami, Dr. Hardy, if you'll excuse me."

He was just about to sprint out the door when Jack called his name from the bed. He turned around just in time to catch a tiny sack of money.

"Put it all on Lucky."

Town Jack smiled as he turned around to get back to watering his plants. Nami shook her head, "You've got a pretty eccentric cousin."

Jack shrugged, "It runs in the family, I guess."

"Jack, you're such a goofball."

"Perhaps, but maybe that's just one of my many boyish charms."

Nami turned around, her face red with annoyance, but Dr. Hardy merely chuckled and asked, "Would you like to wait outside, miss?"

Nami didn't answer and slammed the door behind her.

"Feisty, that on," he said, turning towards his tool bag.

"Hey, what can I say?"

Dr. Hardy picked up a wooden board and held it up to Jack, "Jack, I want you to try and break this. Hit it as hard as you can."

Jack stood up and held back his fist, bending his legs to gain support. He then pushed all of his weight forward and straight punched the board, splitting it in two.

"Interesting. Now try it again, but hit it as lightly as possible."

Jack did as he was told, and lightly flicked it with his finger. Rather than split, this time the board shattered, sending dozens of chunks of wood in random directions, yet missing Dr. Hardy altogether.

"It seems that the more you restrain it, the stronger you become."

Jack was exasperated, "Then how the hell am I supposed to…be gentle…?"

"You'll just have to learn to control it. Maybe it's your wild lifestyle. Now that you've got a wife, it shouldn't be long before you've relaxed, "

Jack did something between a cough and a snort.

"But maybe these will help." Dr. hardy held out a few books describing various forms of yoga, meditation and martial arts. Jack picked them up with interest and flipped throughout the pages, but was rather confused to see pictures of strikes, grapples and blocks.

"I don't think that a mild mannered farmer's going to be needing self-defense training."

Dr. hardy coughed and looked over his shoulder towards the door. Jack nodded and laughed in response.

"I hear you. Thanks, doc."

He shook his head, "Don't mention it. But you might want to brush up on your history, it might give you a clue."

Jack was puzzled, but before he got the chance to ask, Dr. Hardy was gone.

Jack smiled and said to himself, "Silly old man, you're full of surprises, aren't you?"

He walked outside to see Nami with her back to the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed. Jack decided to break the silence.

"Miss me?"

"Only so much one girl can take."

"You know, I really wish I knew which way you meant that."

"Maybe it's both."

"Maybe…"

"Maybe it's not." Jack looked downtrodden.

Nami half-smiled in response and dragged him down the street.

* * *

"Celia!"

"Yes, Vesta?"

"Come downstairs, Tim and Ruby want us to meet their new customers. I hear that they're a couple of young men."

When she hit the bottom step, Vesta noticed a small twinkle in her eyes.

"Don't get too excited, I'm sure that they're exhausted."

"Don't worry, I won't!" Celia exclaimed as she skipped towards the inn.

Marlin came in looking confused, "What's with her?"

Vesta became very serious, "Marlin, follow her. I don't want her doing anything foolish."

He shrugged, "sure."

…

As soon as she reached the end of the bridge, Celia noticed two concealed figures exit the main doors, speaking with Tim and Ruby, overhearing a few things, but watching the two unknowns communicating with strange hand symbols that she had never seen before. Eager to meet new people, she continued to skip on over.

(_Are you sure about this? Walking around with this sword on my belt isn't exactly going to leave a best first impression._)

Tim chuckled, "Don't worry about it! Most people here would assume that you have your reasons."

(_I thought that you were, indifferent, sir._)

Kage nudged Shiyounin in the ribs.

(_Urusai! You know why we do what we do._)

(_Yes, sir_)

Celia couldn't understand what they were saying, that being no surprise considering that the form of communication that the two used was secret and personal.

"Hello there!" She said, beaming. Shiyounin almost jumped out of his shoes, but Kage hardly even glanced.

Tim looked up, "Oh, hello there Celia. These two just came into town last night. Allow me introduce you. This is…um…"

Shiyounin nodded and spoke, "Kyou Gekido."

Tim continued, "And this is…"

Kage interrupted him by pulling off his glove and pulling down his mask.

"Kage Ochitsuita." He took her hand and shook it firmly.

"Why don't you take off those sunglasses, too? I bet you're really handsome."

Kage whispered something in her ear that made Celia blush heavily and giggle uncontrollably.

Kyou got Kage's attention by slapping him on the shoulder, (_Having fun, Kage? Looks like you've become quite modest._)

None of them expected what happened next, because Kage turned around and punched Kyou/Shiyounin clean in the face.

(_Shiyounin! Tojikomeru! What did I tell you about that?_)

Celia ran over to him, "Are you all right, Kyou?" Kyou stood up and brushed himself off without saying anything.

"What's the matter with you, Kage?"

"Don't worry about it. I've gotten used to it," Kyou said as he tossed his glasses into a nearby garbage can and pulled another pair out of his pocket.

"My goodness, how many of those do you have?"

"More than you'd believe."

Kage turned around and headed towards the hill.

(_Where are you going?_) asked Kyou.

(_Gym,_) he answered, not bothering to turn around.

As soon as he was clear out of sight, Tim turned around and went back inside while Kyou decided to take a look around, leaving Celia in the middle of the road, filled with thoughts, questions, and very confusing ideas.

"Celia!"

Celia broke out of her train of thought long enough to notice Marlin walking towards her.

"Yes?"

"Did I miss them?"

"Yes…they were…interesting…"

"Hmm. I see. I guess I'll just have to meet them later…" He turned around and walked back towards the farm, mumbling to himself.

Seeing as how she really had nothing else to do, Celia decided to walk around the Valley and enjoy the nature, maybe even clear her head. She was, after all, having trouble contemplating just what the world was coming to.

* * *

"Nah."

"C'mon, Nami. This is the first time I've ever really had the time to explore this place. It would be nice if you'd let me."

"Nope."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"Jack, stop begging. People are going to think that we're siblings. And wipe off your pants. A 'grown' man should know it's not a good idea to kneel down in the middle of a road like this."

Jack stood up and brushed off his pants, muttering to himself. He looked up at Nami and attempted to convince her one more time, but felt a cold shock run through his head. He didn't flinch, but it sure did hurt like hell. He looked up to see a man in black slowly walking down the road towards Moonlight City, but he figured that it was just a coincidence.

"Meh, maybe you're right Nami. I think I should get some sleep."

Nami looked around towards the road, turned around, shrugged and pulled Jack home by the wrist.

* * *

Celia sighed as she stood in the bathroom, carefully brushing her teeth. There wasn't much of explicable reason, but she felt very tired. Perhaps it had been too much excitement than she was used to, but she had no intention of analyzing it anymore that day.

It was only six o'clock when Celia dragged her feet up the stairs into the loft and pulled the covers up just below he neck. Too annoyed with keeping her hair in that straight fashion with the restraining bandana, she removed it and tossed it onto the floor without much of a second thought.

Not tired enough to fall asleep right off the bat, she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, thinking.

_Wow…I've never me anybody like that. It's almost as if he's bipolar, but not so severe. He's definitely charming, but I don't think that's the real him. Why else would he keep himself so concealed?_

After a few minutes of contemplating as many aspects of the situation as she could, Celia gave up and told herself that she'd figure it out later as she turned out the lights and drifted off.

* * *

"Hey, you two!"

Tim and Ruby poked their heads out of the front doors of the inn to see the newlyweds coming back down the road. Jack's arm wrapped around Nami's shoulder, looking exhausted.

"You feeling better, Jack?"

Jack nodded lazily, eyes half open and standing without much of his own support. He yawned loudly, and then fell asleep. Nami's shoulder shrugged about half an inch.

"I think I should get him to bed. Something's been bothering him lately."

She slowly made her way up the hill back onto the grounds of her new home. Takakura was busy cleaning off Jack's prized cow when he saw the two of them and rushed over to take a load of off Nami's hands, with Uma trailing at his heels.

"Geez! Kid's been here a year and gotten pretty heavy. I must really be getting old. Up and at 'em."

Takakura grunted as he pulled jack into the house, his feet dragging through the dirt. Nami opened the door and Takakura dropped Jack on his bed. In his sleep, Jack curled up into a ball and began snoring.

"Oh great. He **snores** too?"

"Don't worry about it. He'll probably stop in a few minutes. Tea?"

Nami nodded and Takakura went back to his house to fix a pot for the two of them.

Nami rummaged through the drawers and searched for a blanket. She finally found a red one to suit her tastes and sat on the carpet, covering herself.

She almost drifted off to sleep as well, and when Takakura tapped her on the shoulder, she almost jumped out of her shoes.

"Here," said Takakura, handing her a small white cup filled almost to the brim with green tea. Nami got up and sat on the bed, pushing Jack to the other side and almost collapsing from exhaustion.

Takakura nodded and left. It was just past eight, the moonlight pouring in through the window. Nami sat, slowly sipping her tea and watching the moon rise higher and higher towards the peak of the night sky.

Nami tends to get lost in thought quite often, so when Jack rolled over in his sleep and unknowingly and unconsciously hit her in the back of the head, she got angry. Turning around to hit him in the face, she thought that it might be amusing to wake him up.

But just as she pulled back her fist, she noticed the gleaming ring on her finger. Smiling softly to herself, she sipped down the last of her tea, hit the lights, snuggled up under the covers and kissed her husband goodnight.

* * *

It may have been a coincidence, but it seemed that every step that the dark figure known as Kage took in the moonlight was overshadowed by something. It was if nature were trying to keep him out of the light. Nevertheless, he paid it no mind and continued to walk slowly towards the inn, and opened its doors just as the half-moon reached the top of the sky.

Laughing quietly to himself as he could hear Tim's snoring from outside his room, he jumped up the steps as stealthily as possible, not even making a sound as he landed on what Rock referred to as the "squeaky step."

A quick flick of the lights and Kage had enough to time to view the surroundings of his temporary home. He noticed Kyou, sleeping in the corner with the other bed pressed right against it.

_Hakuchi... You're too lazy to even push the bed away._

Without much effort, Kage lifted the bed with both hands and carefully placed it on the other side of the room. It wasn't that he cared that people were sleeping. It was simply in his regimen: "Do what you must to improve and benefit yourself, no matter the liabilities or profits that others gain."

Kage slowly stepped into the shower, allowing the clean, warm water to rinse off the blood, sweat and tension that he had built up during the day. It was almost like meditation, but much more physical than mental. He preferred that.

He stepped out of the shower and took a good look in the mirror, observing the scar across his face and his messy, unkempt hair. He wasn't exactly sure why he cared. But he told himself that it was solely for the purpose of appealing to himself, just as he always had.

A quick rinse of mouthwash, a few minutes of flossing and brushing and a little cream to keep his body from getting infection-along with the added risk of losing precious energy-was all that he needed to do before sinking into the warm sheets of his bed.

He had never spent too much time in a real bed, perhaps because he had traveled so often and gotten himself into so much trouble-none with the law-that made him truly appreciate where he was.

But such thoughts were not on his mind tonight. Make no mistake; this night was really no different from any. Kage usually had trouble falling asleep. His mind was just so full of useless and useful information that it found trouble realizing that the body was trying to catch its breath.

_It's been so long, I guess it took me a while to realize where I've gotten. I haven't got nearly as much energy as I used to. I kept telling Mom and Dad that it was sucking the life out of me, but they continued to say 'hang in there, it's for the best.'_

_Yeah, looks like general education really got me where I am today. A six foot-three male with a bad attitude, a cursed sword and a real reputation among even the highest crime lords that don't even know what I look like trapped in a world of fools. Don't they realize anything?_

**_You're doing it again. How many times do I have to tell you that it's pretty much pointless to contemplate such a silly argument?_**

_You're right, as usual. But maybe I need something a little more stress relieving. Maybe I'll think about it in the morning._

Not merely content with drifting off to sleep just yet, Kage pulled a rock out of his backpack and watched it hit Kyou in the head.

He was rewarded with an annoyed call of, "Shimatta!" just before allowing his thoughts to give way to his urge to rest.


	4. Punches Fly and Fingers Twitch

A/N: My apologies to fans of this work for taking so long to update, but due to my recent lack of effort in participation of the school system, I am now working like a drone until the end of the school year. Just writing this is eating up my time.

Considering that I have four testing periods within the next two months (STAR tests, CSTs, AP tests and finals), I most likely won't update until late June to early July. I leave you with this chapter until then.

* * *

Chapter IV: Punches Fly and Fingers Twitch

Jack awoke as his new alarm clock bounced in the air and onto the floor at about 5:30 a.m. Reminding himself that he'd have to fix that, he yawned and stretched, careful not to disturb his wife.

As he sat up and saw the sunlight shining against the recently polished floor, he got up and stretched again. Realizing that it might help himself feel better the rest of the day, he opened a few of the books that Dr. Hardy had given him. One of the exercises particularly caught his attention. It was something called a "bridge," The picture of the man in the book showed him his stomach in the air, with only his palms, toes and forehead supporting his weight.

Eager to try something new, Jack got down on the floor, slowly bent over backwards and pushed himself off of the floor. He couldn't manage to get down to his forehead without his hands, but he found that he didn't need to use his hands to support his weight. Jack was unsure of how long he held the bridge for, but he figured that it was time to get to work anyway. As he picked up his rucksack, the clock read 6:00.

He thought to himself, _Boy, I feel great!_ Jack turned around to see his wife asleep, and thought of waking her up to tell her something, but he thought against it. _Good move_, he told himself.

He opened the door and took a deep breath of the fresh spring air, reminding himself how good he felt about living on his property. Eager to start the day, he grabbed his watering can and filled it to the brim, then carefully but quickly made his way over to the large field full of sprouting crops including strawberries and potatoes. It only took him a few minutes, as opposed to the usual hour.

For some reason, he was tempted to check in the food storage room and order some more supplies. He checked his inventory to find all of his items in order and plenty quantities all the necessary items. However, he thought that a few extra packs of good fodder wouldn't hurt, so he snapped back on his rucksack and headed for the door for the food storage. He thought that his rucksack felt lighter, but he figured that it simply came from wearing it around all of the time.

When he reached the room and the ledger, however, he noticed that the money for the order he had left earlier was still there. It was awkward because Takakura usually left by 6:00, so Jack figured that he was still asleep.

Eager to get the day moving and keep the farm on schedule, he knocked on Takakura's door. There was no answer, but the door was open. Jack wasn't sure why, but once again he was tempted to open the door.

As soon as the heavy wooden door hit the wall, Jack saw Takakura standing in front of a large, awkward looking plant. He slowly came inside and looked the plant over, noticing that it had two faces and was moving from side to side on its own.

"Hiya, Jack!" said the plant. Jack looked at it and turned to Takakura.

With the straightest face and blankest voice possible, Jack spoke, "Takakura, why are you housing a two-headed, talking, Venus-fly-trap-like…thing?"

"That's rude! I'm not a Venus-Fly-Trap! I'm a hybrid between a human and a Venus-Fly-Trap, thank you very much!" Tartan did something along the lines of a tantrum, if possible by plants, by waving his heads in the air and swinging his root from side to side.

"I'd prefer you not explain how, but it's nice to meet you, um…" Jack pondered.

"Tartan's the name, gossip, loud-talking and other useless crap's my game!"

"…Tartan…why does that sound familiar?" Jack continued to ponder, half-ignoring Tartan.

"I dunno, I like to talk a lot, so maybe word of mouth has spread information of my existence. Oh boy, I'm famous!" Tartan got so excited that he tilted from side to side, eventually going too far and falling over.

"Oh, caberries!" He used one of his heads to push himself back upright, his never faltering smiles beginning to get on Jack's nerves.

"I wouldn't go so far as to call it famous…um, Tartan."

"Has jealously caught up to you, Jacko?" it was at this point that Tartan wished that he had eyebrows, just so he could have taken advantage of the humorous smirk that humans tend to make.

"No. And please don't call me…"

"OK, sure thing Jack! Need something? Go ahead, just ask!" Tartan yelled.

"Um…maybe later. Takakura, will come outside for a second?"

Takakura, who had been silent during the entire conversation, silently nodded and slowly made his way to the door, with Jack pushing him the entire way.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"I, really don't know. I noticed that I had the seed in my pocket a few days ago with a note attached it, asking me to take care of him. I planted it purely out of curiosity."

Jack glanced in through the window. Tartan waved through using one of his leaves, and Jack half-smiled and waved in return.

"So, what does this thing eat?"

"Well, he said that he can only eat crops and seeds, but he doesn't eat carrots. I saw one of your tomatoes in the food storage, so I kind of fed him one.

"You **what**?"

"Relax! He didn't actually eat it. He just sort of stuck it in that bulb like thing of his and told me the right seasons to plant it in and the quality of the crop."

"Hmm…that information actually sounds kind of useful, sans the fact that the quality and planting seasons of crops are written on the seed bag."

Takakura cleared his throat and replied, "Get back to work, I'll take care of Tartan for you."

Jack walked back to his fields slowly, contemplating several of the strange events that had been occurring lately. He looked over his fields one more time before deciding it was time to milk the cows, but then he got an idea. He figured that Nami would wake up in the next few minutes. This seemed strange, somehow knowing his wife almost as well as the back of his hand, whilst beforehand he had found it near impossible to make her smile.

Jack slowly opened the door and peeked inside to see Nami fast asleep. Quietly and carefully, he crept his way into the kitchen and worked like a typhoon. Figuring that because of Nami's…fragile figure, she'd be a little cold, so Jack whipped up some Earth soup, a few slices of toast (Town Jack had given him the bread), sliced melon and fresh squeezed orange juice. As he worked faster than light, he realized three things: he had never been able to make even the simplest recipes before, that the melon that had been sitting in his rucksack for two seasons was still fresh, and that oranges cost **far** too much.

At seven o'clock sharp, Nami awoke and slowly opened her eyes to see Jack standing over her smiling. She didn't know how to react, so she turned away and saw the tray with full course breakfast spread across her lap.

"Good morning." Jack said. Nami did not reply, but rather answered with a small smile and a kiss on the cheek. That was enough to make Jack's day for the next four weeks.

* * *

Sunlight poured in through the window of the Inn's eastern room. As it eventually crept up to Kage's face, he awoke without warning, stood up and threw a sheet over the glass, making sure that he'd actually have more than a few hours to sleep. After all, he felt that he deserved to actually rest once in a while, as opposed to walking for three days straight.

He turned over in his bed and closed his eyes, but found it almost impossible to rest with the amount of pain he felt in his gut. He hadn't eaten so much as a single bite of food in the last two weeks. Reminding himself that it was for the best, he got out of bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Couldn't exactly have crust blocking his view.

Slowly making his way over to the bathroom, he snuck a glance at Kyou, absolutely certain that the man would be willing to stab him in the back. Honor was an important moral value to Kage, and he made certain that his time was spent disciplining Kyou and stopping any chances of being murdered in his sleep, but dead men have no honor, as they say.

Kage spent the next few minutes looking at himself in the mirror, an exercise he found absolutely necessary. It's not that he was a narcissist, but it gave him time to think, time to relax and reflect. Unfortunately, he was still rather groggy from the lack of sleep.

After letting the water run cold for the next few minutes, he dipped his head neck deep into the basin, this serving both as a wake up call and a training procedure.

…

Tim knocked on the door two minutes later and after hearing no answer after several attempts, he turned the knob to make sure that the two had locked the door before they had left. He was surprised to see the door swing open and to see Kage's bed empty. He noticed the bathroom door ajar, so he thought it would be polite to try and acquire Kage's attention by offering him some breakfast. Tim poked his head through the doorway to see Kage's head dipped in the basin full of water.

Completely astounded to see a man of Kage's status attempting suicide caught Tim as the most bizarre thing he had ever seen. Before he could pull Kage's head from the water, however, Tim was knocked to the floor by a wave of black. He looked up to see Kyou looming over his head.

"I strongly suggest against that…Tim, was it?"

"What's the matter with you? Are you just going to let him die?" Tim yelled. Kage slowly pulled his head out of the water. He looked to his right to ensure Tim would not see his face, pulled a towel from the shelf and threw it over his head, and then pulled a stopwatch from his pocket.

"3:40 minus seventeen seconds. 3:23, new record."

Tim was speechless. Kyou smirked.

"Did you need something, Tim?"

Tim stuttered for a few moments before collecting his composure. "I was just wondering if you'd like some breakfast."

Kyou glanced towards Kage with a look of pleading. Kage smiled underneath the towel that obscured his eyes.

(It's been two weeks since this stomach has received any nourishment, and I feel about as exhausted as a soldier. I offer you my thanks and acceptance, Tim.)

Kyou sighed as if showing signs of relief. Kage turned towards him and smirked.

(What are you excited about? You don't get anything else to eat for another four days.)

Kyou stomped his foot so hard his leg went through the floor.

(And now you're going to need to fix that; I hope you saved some money from that job of yours three years ago.)

Kage began to laugh as he followed Tim out the door after slipping on his scarf and sunglasses. Kyou stood in the doorway, fist clenched and head full of rage.

_Remember, Kyou, the only reason that he gets to order you around is because he hits harder than you do._

Kyou slowly calmed down and realized that perhaps listening to Kage was for the best. As much of a jerk he was and as brutal his teachings were, the results were phenomenal. When he had worked as the VP of a technology firm, he was unfit, tired and constantly hungry.

Now he had gained strength almost tenfold, been able to increase his endurance exponentially and could survive with a lack of resources for weeks.

_You are a very wise one, my friend. You've earned the right to be arrogant, brutal and cynical._

Kyou took a look in the mirror and pulled off his shirt as he turned on the water for the showerhead. Cuts, scars, bruises and bullet wounds covered his entire body. But he figured it was worth it. At least being shot three times wasn't nearly as bad as being shot thirty.

* * *

Jack took a few minutes to walk around town once again. It was almost nostalgic, really. He felt as if it were once again his first spring in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Spring really did seem to him as the time of rebirth. The year was truly beginning again, and Jack felt as if the wind was blowing in a new direction.

"Morning!"

Jack turned around to see Celia running up the hill to greet him. Waving back happily, Jack was certainly happy to see her.

…

Jack had begun flirting with Celia the moment he had first arrived in town, but Marlin's attitude had scared him off a bit. Celia, determined to earn herself a decent, hardworking husband drove her to spend as much time with Jack as possible, so much, that they had grown even closer than Celia had expected. The two were so alike, that they pretty much considered themselves siblings.

Approximately ten days after he had first arrived, Jack had been walking up to the spring at around six to see Celia sitting by the pond. He went over to talk to her for a few minutes.

"Jack…"

Jack bent over to kiss Celia on the cheek, but she pulled away.

"What's wrong, Celia?"

Celia looked up at him with eyes full of love and sadness at the same time, "Jack, we've grown so close, that I don't love you in that way anymore."

Jack hung over like a limp rag. But he pulled himself together and nodded, "I hear you, loud and clear."

Celia nodded and smiled, and then made her way back down the road. Jack felt no sadness; he had lost one love and gained another. The mixture of emotions he felt was strange and new to him, but the only thing his mind told his body to do was to start walking.

He heard a splash and looked to his left. He slowly made his way over to the river and saw someone drifting unconscious down the river. Without waiting so much as a heartbeat, he dived in and pulled her out. Putting his emergency breathing skills to the test, he continuously recycled through the routine before the young woman awoke and coughed up a bit of water. She sat upright for a few moments before looking up at Jack, who was absolutely astonished to peer into the eyes of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, her eyes full of intelligence and wisdom.

Before she could take the opportunity to say anything, she passed out again. In a heartbeat, Jack lifted her up and carried her to Dr. Hardy's office over the hill. He almost passed out from exhaustion from sprinting up the hill, but he was not about to roll over while he literally held a woman's life in his hands.

As soon as he had reached the door, he fell to the ground, breathing heavily as he lay across the woman's stomach. Struggling with all of his strength to get to his feet, he felt a helping hand over his shoulder.

Dr. Hardy stood, "What happened?"

"I saw her…passed out…in the river." Those were the only words he said before he fell unconscious.

He awoke a while later to see the woman lying in bed, asleep.

"Don't worry, she's fine." Dr. Hardy said as he offered Jack a glass of water while he lay on the sofa. He sat up and looked up towards the woman, who stirred in her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, which Jack had to brace himself to look into.

She looked up and smiled, "Thanks."

…

"Jack!" Jack half jumped as he snapped out of his flashback.

"Well, have you?" asked Celia.

Jack waited several seconds before answering, "Huh?"

Celia playfully hit him in the shoulder, "You doufus, I was asking about the new guy…um, guys."

"New guys, huh? Haven't met them yet. Why, are you attracted to one of them?" Instead of hitting him in the shoulder, Celia blushed heavily. Jack began laughing.

"I think he's…handsome…"

"Then I guess you've got yourself a husband now?"

"Stop teasing me, Jack!" she pushed him to the side half-playfully.

"So, what's he look like?"

Celia sat and pondered for a minute while Jack picked up a rock and skipped it down the river.

"Well, he's pretty tall, dark skin and black hair, but I haven't seen his eyes; he was wearing a pair of sunglasses."

"Don't you think that's kind of rude?" Jack asked.

"Well, I wasn't really thinking about it too much. I was thinking about, what he said to me."

"What did he say?"

"Well…he said…" before Celia could answer, Marlin called to her from across the bridge telling her that Vesta wanted her to pick up a package from the inn. She nodded and pulled Jack along by the wrist.

"Hey, why do I have to come?"

"Because I want you to meet him."

"Fair enough." As the two of them passed the bridge, Marlin nodded.

"Morning." Jack nodded in reply. That was a major advantage to having a sibling-esque relationship with Celia, Marlin didn't hate his guts.

…

"Tim! Vesta says that you have a package for us!" The two waited for a response, but to no avail. Tim was out and around. Celia sighed and turned back outside to see a figure in dark clothes walking down the street.

"Kage!" she called out to him enthusiastically.

He kept walking, so she ran to catch up and grasp his attention while Jack followed.

"Kage!" she said as she caught up to him.

"Kage is gone, I'm just wandering around."

"What?" Kyou turned around to reveal himself, but he did not remove his glasses. His scarf was not around him, so Jack took a good look at his face.

"THIS is the guy that you have a crush on?" Celia turned dark red.

Kyou began to laugh, "Every single time an attractive woman follows after Kage, he brutally rejects them. Now if you want some real man…" Kyou pulled Celia close to himself, but Celia resisted and ran back a few feet. Jack pulled himself in front of Celia.

"Look, punk, I don't know who you think you are, but nobody touches my sister like that."

Kyou began laughing again, "And just what are you going to do about it?"

Jack didn't know what happened next. His conscience was gone for split seconds before he realized that he had hit Kyou square in the nose. He lay on the ground, out cold, thirty feet away.

Celia was silent, realizing Jack's newfound strength. Jack was rather impressed with himself too, at least until Kyou rose from the ground and wiped blood from his nose.

"Impressive. But you lack form, technique, discipline."

Before Jack could react, he felt an unfamiliar pain in his stomach, something to the equivalent of having ten major organs being shoved up into his lungs before the recoil from Kyou's fist sent him skidding across the bridge to the foot of the mountain.

"Enough said."

Jack stood up and brushed himself off, the pain now gone and Jack undeniably pissed. He slowly made his way back over to the front of the inn where Kyou stood, laughing. Celia was absolutely horrified.

_One more punch, just one more into that stupid expression of his, _Jack thought to himself.

Jack focused all of his anger into his right arm, willing to break some bones if he had to. But before he could land another blow, his fist was stopped short in midair by somebody else trenched in black.

"One hour," he murmured.

"Pardon?" asked Jack, the one word he managed to say.

"Kage Ochisuita…Perhaps my introduction would have been more formal if I were not here to baby-sit." Kage turned to Kyou.

"I leave town for one hour and you manage to get into a fight with a local. Temper, temper."

"Let me cut him down…sir…it's my only…"

"If you don't calm down, I'm going to have to make you."

Jack snarled through his teeth. Kage responded coldly, "This goes double for you, sir."

Jack wasn't thinking, he just wanted to break Kyou's teeth. He struggled to pull his hand free, but that only made Kage tighten his grip. Jack's hand was in pain now; he could feel the bones in his fingers fragmenting slightly. Jack no longer struggled to fight, but to escape.

"Forgive me sir." Kyou pulled out his scythe and swung at Jack's head.

Celia screamed.

"Apology not accepted, I've taught you better." Kage spoke softly and calmly as blood dripped from the inch deep gash in his left arm. Before either Jack or Kyou had time to react, Kage drove Kyou's face right into his knee and he punched Jack square in the chest.

Jack couldn't breathe, he felt daggers through his lungs and heart for twelve seconds before falling unconscious.

Celia was absolutely silent as Kage lifted the two limp bodies over his shoulder and let the sickle fall from his arm to the ground.

He turned to face Celia, who did not know what to think.

"My apologies, Miss Celia, for my subordinate's inexcusable behavior. It seems that he cannot control his hormones around one with the amount of beauty as yourself. I might be one to call it jealousy. This one will be fine. From what I've observed, he heals very quickly and possesses colossal strength. All he needs is rest. I'll be sure to deal with Kyou's behavior later."

Celia was still worried, but she could say nothing. She saw a faint glance of Kage's eyes through his sunglasses, and suddenly felt better.

"Good day, Miss Celia," his last response before making his way to the farm.

* * *

Nami sat in front of the TV, watching the entertainment channel when she heard a knock at the door. She stood up to answer it and caught a small chill on the way to the doorway. She opened it to see Kage standing in front of her with her husband draped over his shoulder.

"...Who are you and what have you done?"

"Relax, ma'am. My name is currently of no importance. He simply got involved in a fight and should be fine. He has a few broken bones, but those should heal…"

"What do you mean, broken bones? Did you do that?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, but I really had no choice…" before Kage could finish his sentence, Nami threw a punch at his face. She missed completely, swinging at air. She turned around to see Kage lying Jack on the bed and slowly turning around.

"Good day," he stated, before disappearing without a trace.

Nami stood over her husband and watched him sleep. She thought to herself, _I suppose that when they told me it was the farmer's wife's job to take care of the farmer, they didn't exactly expect this._

Without hesitating a second longer, she got up to prepare some lunch for herself and her husband. She felt helpless, it was the only thing she could do.


End file.
